Fighting together
by rokeat
Summary: SEQUEL TO "SOMEONE TO FIGHT FOR". Merlin and Arthur are living an easy and happy life together in their own apartment, making their own way with the help of family and friends. But they will still have many obstacles to overcome and people from the past who will try to find a space in their lives. SLASH Merthur
1. Chapter 1

_I'm back! This is obviously a sequel to "Someone to fight for" and I really really hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

Arthur closed his eyes for a second and sighed, contented, letting himself be bathed by the last rays of light of the day coming through the window. As he went into motion again, cleaning the table in front of him with a wet cloth, he couldn't help but smile: Merlin should be getting out of the supermarket he worked in around then, so in about five or ten minutes (depending on much he hurried), he would be walking through the door of the cafe.

"Daydreaming again, honey?" Arthur heard a voice at his back, and once again he smiled.

"What gave you that idea?" Arthur answered, turning around with a tray full of empty glasses and bottles towards the bar.

"The goofy smile on your face, maybe?" Mithian answered from behind the bar, moving aside to let Arthur space when he reached it.

"It's just your imagination" Arthur lied with a smile, knowing he could hardly keep anything from his good friend.

"I need to get me one of those"

"One of what?"

"One of those boyfriend things to make me smile like that just by thinking about them" Mithian explained, batting her eyelashes stupidly to make Arthur laugh wholeheartedly.

Mithian was great, Arthur thought. In the few months he had been working on the cafe with her she had been nothing but wonderful with him, to the point of them having become very good friends. She clearly adored Arthur in a totally platonic way, and she jokingly pretended to hate Merlin because of it. But both Merlin and Arthur knew they could count on her completely if they ever needed to. She was just one more of the wonderful things that had filled their new life together.

"Anyone in mind?" Arthur questioned her, knowingly.

"No" she answered with an exaggerated sigh. "I guess you'll have to put up with me being a third wheel with you and Merlin for a while yet"

"You know I don't mind at all, but don't pretend there is no one on your sight, I know how you feel about..."

"Oh, look, it's our favourite client" Mithian jokingly interrupted him as Merlin came through the door. "Merlin, how nice to see you! It's been like what... three hours?"

"Hahaha, you're so funny" Merlin answered as he walked towards the bar, and then he leant over it to give Arthur a quick peck on the lips as a greeting. "Hey, you"

"Hey yourself" Arthur answered with a loving smile.

They hadn't agreed on Merlin picking up at the cafe in his way home from work, but they hardly ever did anyway: Merlin would just appear, he'd made Arthur's day with it, and then they would go home together and have that simple, easy and warm life they had dreamed of for so long.

"And for your information" Merlin added, again turning to Mithian, "I hadn't been here at all today yet"

"How stupid of me to make such a mistake then" Mithian kept on with the joking. "You are here so often that I lost count. I'm getting used to you as part of the furniture"

"Any chance you're just jealous it's not you whom I come to see?"

"Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming, baby" she answered, laughing along with her friends, as she went out from behind the counter to serve some new clients that had just arrived.

"So how was your day, love?" Merlin asked as soon as he found himself alone with his boyfriend.

"Pretty much the same as every day" Arthur answered good-naturedly. "Yours?"

"Same. You're finishing for the day soon, right?"

"Yeah, in about half an hour. But you look tired, why don't you get going home and I'll be there as soon as I finish here?" Arthur offered, cupping Merlin's cheek as he tenderly watched for any signs of tiredness in his face.

"No, I think I'll just wait for you" Merlin answered, placing a tiny kiss on Arthur's palm.

"I was kind of hoping you'd say that" Arthur confessed, giving Merlin one of his magical smiles, before leaning over to capture Merlin's lips in a slow kiss.

"Enough of that, you two, you're scaring all the clients off" Mithian joked as he came back to the bar, making Merlin sigh dramatically and Arthur laugh at their silliness.

"Do you want something to drink, love?" Arthur offered.

"Just... some tea" Merlin agreed.

Arthur swiftly prepared the beverage for his boyfriend, just as he liked it, and put it in front of him, while Merlin took the stool closer to him and sat down to drink it while he waited for him to finish his shift. Just then Arthur's mobile beeped, and he took it out of his apron's pocket to see who had texted him.

"Who is it?" Merlin asked, curious, seeing the smile spreading on his boyfriend's face.

"It's Leon" Arthur answered, always happy to hear from his best friend.

"Oh, and how is everything with him? It's been quite a while since we heard from him"

"He says he's coming after the Christmas holidays to see our apartment, if it's alright with us. And he's bringing Gwen and Elyan too!"

"That's great!" Merlin exclaimed cheerfully. "I bet you're dying to see them"

"You bet I am! It's been a long time since we went to visit them at summer. And they've never been here, I'm dying to show them everything. We could even introduce them to the boys!"

"That would be cool! Although you've talked so much about them, that it's almost as they already know each other" Merlin fondly commented, and Arthur mockingly stuck his tongue out at him.

"I can't believe this, apart from your parents everyone I love will be together in the same place once they're here!" Arthur felt so excited as he spoke that Merlin's heart warmed with tenderness.

"Well, thanks" Mithian murmured from the other side of the bar, and Arthur immediately felt guilty he had let her out of it.

"Oh, but you can come too, Mithian! I would love for you to come!" he honestly offered.

"Really?" Mithian asked, mockingly pouting.

"Yes, of course. You know the boys already"

"He's only speaking for himself, of course" Merlin couldn't help but add, never losing the chance to mock her.

"That's all I need, I care very little about your opinion anyway" Mithian answered, her lips curving slightly upwards without her being able to prevent it.

"Gwaine will be there too, of course" Arthur whispered to her suggestively.

"And why would I care if he was there?" Mithian asked, suddenly with suspicious crimson stains on her cheeks.

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought you'd like to know" Arthur answered, winking at her. Yes, he couldn't keep much from her, but that also worked the other way around and she knew it, even if she pretended not to know what was going on in Arthur's head.

As Mithian continued serving the tables, Arthur took care of the dirty dishes on the sink, right under the bar, so he could do something useful without moving away from his boyfriend. Merlin carefully sipped his hot tea, all the while watching Arthur's face cautiously, and it was not much later that he noticed all the previous joy gone from Arthur's face, having been replaced by a slight frown.

"Love?" Merlin called him to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Arthur responded, clearly having been interrupted in some deep thinking.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sure" Arthur answered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and then resumed his task without further explanation. Merlin was not about to give up so easily, though.

"Hey, what is it?" Merlin asked, holding Arthur's chin across the bar to keep him from looking away.

"Well, not really everyone I love is going to be there..."

Merlin sighed in understanding, and then he picked Arthur's hand to bring it to his lips and kiss it.

"Morgana?" Merlin asked, not needing any more words to make himself understood.

"Yeah" Arthur sadly admitted. "I wish she could be there too"

"I'm sorry, Arthur, but she could" Merlin roughly contradicted him, feeling that familiar disdain he felt whenever Morgana's name appeared on a conversation. "Don't say it as if there was something preventing her from being there. She would if she had ever taken the trouble to get in contact with you"

"I know, but maybe..." Arthur tried to defend her, but Merlin didn't let him finish.

"No, Arthur. You know I'm right. I know she's your sister, but I wish you would stop thinking about her. She didn't do anything to deserve for you to worry about her all the time" Merlin honestly explained, wanting to make a point even if he knew his words would hurt his boyfriend.

"I don't like you talking about her like this, Merlin" Arthur gently reproached him, with no trace of anger in his voice because he understood Merlin's good intentions.

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I really am, but it's how I feel about her and I don't want to lie to you. I know I tend to get a little overprotective with you..."

"A little?" Arthur asked, this time with a smile on his face.

"Ok, a lot. But that's just because I love you so much"

"I know. And I understand your feelings towards her, believe me. But I... she's still my sister"

"You're right" Merlin answered, suddenly feeling guilty for his hard words. After all, Arthur couldn't help missing her, could he? "I can't help what I feel about her but there's no need for me to criticize her. I'm sorry I spoke ill of her"

"Oh, time to go!" Arthur exclaimed as he looked at his watch, clearly wanting to change the subject, not wanting to argue with Merlin when he could understand him so well. "Mithian, the fort is all yours to keep, I'm leaving" Arthur spoke aloud, already taking off his apron, so she would hear him.

"How come you get to leave two hours before I do?" Mithian groaned.

"Maybe because I started my shift two hours before you did?" Arthur answered, his jacket already on.

"Probably more, considering how you're always late" Merlin couldn't help but interfering in the conversation.

"You know, you would expect me to get angry about that, but you happen to be right, so..." she answered good naturedly.

"See you in a couple of days, Mith. Merry Christmas" Arthur laughed as she passed her by, and kissed her cheek in appreciation of her friendship.

"Merry Christmas, babe. And you too, you freak, I'm sure I'll see you soon too" she spoke after Merlin, making him laugh in earnest.

"Oh, you can be sure of that, you haven't seen the last of me" he answered before putting his arm around Arthur's waist and guiding him to the door.

* * *

Merlin opened his eyes as the first rays of light in the morning touched him through the window. They never bothered to close the curtains at night because Arthur would love to watch the night sky whenever he had trouble to sleep, as it somehow calmed his nerves. And Merlin wouldn't usually awake with the light (gosh, he was a heavy sleeper), but today he felt rested and great.

He turned on his side and lifted his upper body on his elbow to look at the person lying next to him. Arthur was, surprisingly enough, still asleep. He looked so beautiful, Merlin thought, lying face-down on the mattress with his face to Merlin, with an almost imperceptible contented smile on his face and his golden hair all tangled and messy. Merlin felt a rush of love for him, and he couldn't help bringing his hand softly to Arthur's bare back to caress his spine up and down with the tip of his fingers.

Arthur had been sleeping much better lately, although he still would lie awake for hours from time to time with some sudden anxiousness he didn't know where it came from. He never awoke Merlin intentionally, though the latter always seemed to have a sixth sense with it and awoke on his own to find Arthur wide awake. He would never say anything: he would simply kiss him and then he'd spoon him, his hand on Arthur's chest, until he felt his heart slow down to a normal rhythm.

But today was not one of these days; Arthur was simply sleeping peacefully. Or had been until then, Merlin though, as Arthur's eyes slowly opened to greet a new day and the smile on his lips widened at Merlin's loving ministrations.

"Morning" Merlin whispered in Arthur's ear, leaning over him to place a kiss on the blond's temple, making him sigh in bliss.

"Who are you and what have you done with my usually sleepy boyfriend?" Arthur joked, still unmoving, his voice still slurred by sleep.

"I guess you were such a sight I had to remain awake to enjoy the view for a while"

"How can you be so sweet?" Arthur answered, smiling goofily, as he turned on his back without moving from his place and grabbed the back of Merlin's head to bring him down to him and kiss him properly.

"Because being sweet earns me kisses like that, that's why" Merlin joked, once the kiss broke, settling back on his side next to Arthur. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great. I'm totally rested and ready for the day"

"So what do you want to do today, since neither one of us has to work?"

"We should go buy something to bring to your parents tonight. We can't go to a Christmas dinner empty-handed, can we? Especially when all your family is going to be there"

It was the first time Arthur was going to be having dinner with Merlin's whole family, and it was in such a special occasion as Christmas's eve. It was going to be the first Christmas he was going to spend with them as a family, and Merlin knew he was pretty nervous about it, even if it was in a good way.

"Sweetie, you have to relax about it. It's just a dinner" Merlin patiently explained, all the while playing with the locks of hair falling on Arthur's forehead.

"No, it's Christmas dinner, and the first one for me, to be exact. I want to make a good impression"

"But you will, love. You only have to be your usual charming self and you will have no problem. Besides, you already know my Granny and she adores you. And you know my cousin Will as well"

"But I still don't know your aunt and uncle. And I don't think your cousin Will likes me very much, to be honest" Arthur confessed.

"What? Don't be silly, he loves you"

"No, Merlin, he really doesn't"

"Ok, you're right, I'm sorry" Merlin confessed guiltily.

"Am I? But why? What have I ever done to him?" Arthur asked, sitting up in a heartbeat as his worst suspicions were confirmed.

"It's nothing personal, I think. It's just… we were quite the pranksters when we were little" Merlin explained, sitting up too and caressing Arthur's forearm in a comforting way. "We've never had a very deep relationship, but we got along great through our pranks, and we would usually cause quite a ruckus, especially at Christmas Night, one way or another. And he loved that"

"And I changed that, I guess"

"Well, I've obviously settled down a lot since I'm with you. Though I think I would have anyway, we are not children anymore. I've tried to make him see that, but he's just too stubborn"

"So you knew he didn't like me?"

"Well… yeah, I did. He's not very subtle"

"Why? Did he tell you?" Arthur asked.

"Kind of" Merlin confessed embarrassedly.

"And why didn't you tell me? It would have been nice to know I was not imagining things"

"Because I didn't want you to know" Merlin calmly explained, taking Arthur's hand in his. "You wanted so badly for everybody to like you I didn't want you to be disappointed. But hey, it's alright, everybody else loves you, you know that!"

"Yeah, but Will…"

"Don't worry about Will. He'll have to mature someday, won't he?"

"I guess"

"Don't think about him. It's going to be wonderful tonight, my aunt and uncle are going to love you, and you're going to have a great time with all the family. I know you've been looking forward to it" Merlin smiled fondly at him, and stretched forwards to give Arthur's lips a quick peck.

"I really have" Arthur confessed. "I've never had a large family Christmas's dinner before. Since I remember, it was only my mother, Morgana and I. And then last year…"

"Well, you have a large family now" Merlin gently interrupted him as he got on his knees and put an arm around Arthur to attract him to him and kiss him. He didn't want for his spirits to dampen remembering the Christmas from the year before, with only his abusive father as a company. Today was supposed to be perfect.

Arthur was quick to get on his knees too and reciprocated the kiss. Having Arthur firmly pressed against his own body, though, had an immediate reaction and Merlin couldn't stop himself from capturing his lips again in a slower kiss as his hand travelled all the way down Arthur's spine.

"I thought we were supposed to go shopping" Arthur murmured against Merlin's lips, apparently not having any intention of breaking the moment judging by how strongly his arms closed around Merlin's torso in a tight embrace.

"I don't think we are in that much of a hurry" Merlin answered, gasping in pleasure when Arthur's mouth started making a trail of kisses on his neck.

"I guess we can take our time, then" Arthur answered and then he pushed Merlin into the bed, eliciting a big laugh from him, and straddled him to continue his exploration of Merlin's skin down to his chest.

* * *

As Arthur had suggested, they spent a quiet and peaceful day, only going out to do some grocery shopping and to buy some wine to bring to the Christmas dinner in Merlin's parents', and some other things they needed in their house. It was almost time to go and Arthur was putting everything away when Merlin suddenly realised something.

"Do you know what you are wearing tonight?"

"What did that come from?" Arthur asked in amusement.

"I just realised I haven't seen you getting any clothes ready, and that's so strange of you" Merlin pointed out, coming behind Arthur and putting his arms around his normally farsighted partner's waist.

"That's because I've known what I'm going to wear for a long time" Arthur answered with an enigmatic smile, bringing his hand to caress Merlin's face on his shoulder.

"Oh. And what's that?"

"The sweater your granny knitted for me, obviously"

"Really? It's horrible!" Merlin exclaimed, letting go of Arthur to go and stand in front of him.

"It isn't!" Arthur replied, indignantly.

"Arthur, I appreciate you wanting to wear it for her, I really do, but you don't have to. None of the others will"

"Merlin, you don't understand. Of course I have to: your granny took the time to knit it, and I'm sure she put her best on it"

"Yes, but he does that with everyone in the family"

"Exactly. She included me in the family, and made a sweater just for me. It's not that I have to wear it. It's just that I want to" Arthur explained, with a little more emotion than he had intended and then turned around embarrassedly to continue with his task. "You should be getting dressed, we'll have to leave soon if we don't want to be late"

"Oh, Arthur" Merlin fondly whispered to himself, and he gently stroke the back of Arthur's neck before moving towards the wardrobe, wondering if Arthur would ever stop marvelling at any little thing Merlin's family did for him. He hoped not, because Merlin really loved that trait about him, even if he knew where it came from. It just made him all the more special.

As Arthur finished putting everything they had bought in place, Merlin started getting dressed. He usually didn't care much about what to wear, but just this time he had thought what to wear in advance and had even ironed it to look presentable enough to his mother's standards for the holidays. He sighed as he put his own sweater over his head: yes, he had ironed the shirt he was supposed to be wearing in vain, and there was nothing he hated more than ironing. But this was more important; this was about making Arthur happy. And he never missed a chance to make Arthur happy.

"You're wearing your sweater too!" Arthur exclaimed once he turned around and saw what Merlin was wearing.

"Well, if you appeared with your sweater and I didn't, what would Granny think of me? It's your fault I have to wear it, I hope you realise that" Merlin mockingly reproached him, but didn't reject the kiss Arthur immediately gave him.

"Thank you, Merlin" Arthur honestly said, embracing his boyfriend close to his chest.

"You're welcome, love"


	2. Chapter 2

Ooops, this chapter was supposed to come before New Year's Eve but well... I hope you're still able to enojy it! ;)

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**CHAPTER 2**

"Come on, Merlin. We are late!" Arthur tried to rush Merlin, who seemed to be especially slow getting ready today.

"Relax, love. Gary's house is not that far" Merlin answered, lazily –and finally!– standing up from the sofa to turn off the TV and starting getting dressed.

"No, but even if it was around the corner, we would be late if we leave past the time we are supposed to be there, don't you think?" Arthur replied, already fancily dressed and ready to go.

"They can wait"

"I know they can, but I don't like being late"

"I know" Merlin calmly answered, and it was lucky for him Arthur couldn't see how much trouble he was having to keep a smirk out of his face.

"Well, if you know you could have started getting ready sooner, couldn't you? I've been telling you to dress for almost an hour now!" Arthur complained.

"Don't get cranky, sweetie, you know I'm a disaster. I just don't know what to wear! Everything I like is terribly crumpled"

"Why couldn't you just have it ready before?" Arthur asked, trying hard not to get angry. It almost looked like Merlin was trying to piss him off, and he didn't want to begin the new year like that.

"Well, no use in complaining now, I need to iron this shirt" Merlin explained, taking a terribly crumpled shirt from the wardrobe.

"Let me" Arthur offered with a sigh, taking the shirt out of Merlin's hands before he had time to refuse. "I'll iron it for you, you finish getting ready, please"

"You're an angel" Merlin tried to flatter him so he wouldn't get too annoyed, and he kissed his cheek for good measure as he passed him by on his way to the bathroom.

"Indeed I am" Arthur complained, but Merlin was relieved could see a tiny grin breaking on the corner of the blond's mouth.

Merlin's phone chose to beep with a message in that exact moment and Merlin swiftly took it out of his pocket and read it.

_Everyone's here. You can bring him now ;)_

"Who is it?" Arthur asked as he took the iron out of a cupboard.

"Just some advertising" Merlin dismissed him, quickly going to the wardrobe again to take another shirt, all ready and perfect to use. "Leave the shirt, love, I just remembered I had indeed got another one ready"

"It will only be a minute if you prefer this one" Arthur offered, but Merlin walked to him as he buttoned the new one and took the other from Arthur's hands.

"No need" Merlin insisted, before he gave Arthur's lips a quick peck in gratitude. "Come on, we are going to be late"

"Oh, so now I'm the one making us late?" Arthur complained, amused.

"Well, I already have my coat on, so..."

"Sometimes I don't understand why I love you so much" Arthur mumbled good-naturedly as he picked up his own coat and Merlin chuckled at him.

They were going to Lancelot's house –or more exactly, to Lancelot's garage–, where the boys had been welcoming the new years together for a couple of years now, setting it as a tradition. This was going to be Arthur's first time there, though, and he wanted everything to be perfect. Pity his idiot of a boyfriend didn't think it was so important, he thought with a fond smile. But he didn't have the heart to reproach him anything, after all he had done for him.

The Christmas night at the Emrys house had been nothing but wonderful. Everybody had welcomed Arthur into the family as if he had always been a part of it, and Merlin's grandmother had been really flattered when she had seen the couple wearing the jumpers she had knitted for them, as she did every year for each member of the family. She knew it must have been Arthur's doing, as Merlin had never wore his before, and that had made Arthur gain a place in her heart immediately, to the point she had "adopted him" as his third grandson. Even William hadn't been that horrible to him, although Arthur could swear he had been constantly giving him tasks to do so he wouldn't monopolize Merlin and William got to spend some time with him instead. But Merlin, whether he was oblivious or not to that happening, had been helping Arthur in everything, not wanting to leave him alone –or maybe trying to teach his cousin a lesson-, so William had finally given up trying to get rid of Arthur and the three of them had spent quite an enjoyable evening with the rest of the family.

And New Year's Eve was a night to spend with their friends, but that didn't mean it wasn't supposed to be especial or unforgettable. Merlin knew Arthur was excited enough about starting the year with Merlin's gang –now his too, obviously–, but Merlin wanted the night to be even more extraordinary for him. That's why he had pulled some strings and invited a few extra guests to their celebration. He would have given anything to be able to reach Morgana, as he knew there was nothing that would make Arthur happier than that, but there was no way for him to contact her, so they would still have to wait until she decided to look for her brother someday.

"Hi, boys" Arthur greeted their friends as he lifted the garage's door for Merlin and him to enter.

"Well, it's about time" Lancelot mockingly protested, going to them and giving each of them a quick embrace.

"Tell me about it" Arthur agreed, sending Merlin what was supposed to be an accusatory gaze, though it was so full of fondness that it hardly made any impression. "The table is very beautifully prepared, Lance. You should have let us help"

"Oh, it's okay. There was no need for all of us to be here, and I had all the help I needed" Lance answered, discreetly winking at Merlin.

"Why are there so many plates? Eight?" Arthur observed as he moved around the table to embrace Percival and Gwaine too. "Oh, are each of you bringing a date?"

"Well, not exactly. But we have three especial guests tonight alright"

"Really? Who are them?"

"Surprise!" Came a yell from the door to the house, and Arthur's mouth fell open when he recognised his friends Leon, Elyan and Gwen from his hometown coming towards him.

"Oh my God" Arthur exclaimed, too shocked to say anything else as he was quickly engulfed in a tangle of arms that were his oldest friends coming to embrace him. "You're all here!"

"Well, I told you we wanted to make a visit" Leon explained, squeezing Arthur's shoulders once again.

"And Merlin convinced us there wasn't a better time to do it, so..." Gwen added.

"So this is your doing?" Arthur asked in mocking accusation, turning to his grinning boyfriend.

"A little" Merlin confessed, his grin widening at Arthur's emotion.

"I should have known when you were trying so hard to rile me up before" Arthur told him, his voice full of love, as he strongly embraced him too, thankfully.

"I thought it would be funnier that way, but you're so patient there was absolutely no way!" Merlin joked, reciprocating the hug.

"So I understand everybody knows everybody by now, right?" Arthur spoke to everyone, a bit overwhelmed at the surprise and at being the centre of attention at the moment.

"Yes, so please, everybody have a seat and we start with the dinner" Lancelot said as he sat himself, being careful to push Percival to another seat different from the one he was about to take so he could sit next to Gwen, Arthur observed.

"And I guess it's also the time for our guests to start explaining embarrassing childhood stories about Arthur!" Gwaine suggested.

"No, it isn't!" Arthur replied, mockingly indignant. "Besides, there aren't any, I was a very well-behaved child"

"Well, there's this one..." Elyan started, but stopped himself with a laugh at Arthur's shushing noise.

"So what's for dinner?" Arthur asked, before anyone else could say anything embarrassing.

After all the corresponding catching up, and the usual banter between the boys, they all had dinner in the long table Lance and the other boys had got ready for the occasion. Merlin smiled fondly every time he looked at Arthur, joyfully chatting with everyone, visibly happy. There was no sign of the lonely, vulnerable and sad boy from the year before, and Merlin marvelled, not for the first time, at Arthur's resilience, after all he had been through.

"It's all really thanks to you, Merlin" Arthur suddenly whispered in his ear.

"What?" Merlin asked in surprise. Could Arthur read minds now?

"I know what you're thinking" Arthur explained with a small chuckle.

"What, you can read minds now? 'Cause I thought it was the only skill you didn't have"

"I can see you watching me and smiling from time to time 'cause you can see I'm happy. Happier than I ever was before, and especially happier than last year. And I wanted you to know it's all thanks to you"

"Is it?" Merlin asked with a proud smile.

"You've changed everything. You've made everything happen. Of course it's thanks to you" Arthur explained, his hand squeezing Merlin's thigh in appreciation for all he had done for him.

"Well, I don't think all the merit is mine, but I'm still glad I could help" Merlin answered, before cupping Arthur's chin to bring his face to him and be able to capture his lips in a sweet kiss.

"Oh no! Sugar alert!" Gwaine loudly joked from the other side of the table, causing for both Arthur and Merlin to blush. "I better put some music so us single and non-disgusting people have fun too!"

"If you think for one minute I'm going to let you pick the music..." Percival stood up and ran after Gwaine, who was already by the stereo.

"Nor me!" Merlin added, giving Arthur a last quick peck on the lips before going after his friends.

The rest of them started laughing as the three friends mockingly argued about what music they should listen to first. Arthur was a little surprised Lancelot hadn't even tried to pick the music himself, being the music lover he was, or hadn't thought to put any music while they had dinner. But he seemed to be pretty busy talking to Gwen and Elyan –or was it just Gwen? – and seemed happy enough to let the others pick.

"I'm so glad you came" Arthur honestly told Leon once the first chords of some very loud music –undoubtedly Gwaine's choice– started filling the garage, giving him some privacy to talk to his old friend.

"Me too" Leon answered. "We were dying to see you and Merlin, and to meet your friends after all you've spoken about them, so it wasn't that big a deal to convince Elyan and Gwen to come with me"

"It gives me the chance to apologize for how I acted when I first move here" Arthur said in all honesty, still embarrassed about the lack of contact he had kept with his friend after he had moved to the city.

"Again, Arthur? We already talked about that when you came to visit at summer. I thought it was all forgotten"

"Still... You've always been such a great friend to me, you didn't deserve for me to cut any contact with you just because I didn't feel like talking to anybody or because it hurt too much for me not to be there with all of you"

"Arthur, you were going through a lot. I didn't know half of it back then, and I still understood" Leon avoided speaking about Arthur's father, even though he now knew everything, as Arthur had finally explained it to him at his summer's visit. "After your mother's funeral and your departure I understood you were devastated, so if space was what you needed, then who was I to ask for anything? Of course I would have liked to know of you after the first month, but... if it wasn't what you needed at the moment..."

"I just... I don't know, it hurt too much to think about all I had lost. And I didn't want you to know about... everything, and I knew you would know something was happening as soon as I spoke to you"

"I understand" Leon reassured him with a smile and a nod of his head.

"That doesn't make me less of a prick, though. You were my best friend, and I kept you apart"

"Arthur, just let it go. I understood then and I understand even more now. We started talking again after Merlin called me on last New Year's Eve and we spoke. And you came to visit in the summer. Nothing's changed between us, Arthur. You're still my best friend"

"As you are mine" Arthur reciprocated, with a big smile of his own.

"And... I have some news"

"Yeah?"

"I'm moving in here"

"Here where?"

"To the city"

"Really? When? Why? How?" Arthur asked enthusiastically.

"One question at a time, please" Leon laughed, lifting his hands in surrender. "You know I've always wanted to live in a big city, right?"

"Yeah, you always said how frustrated our little town made you"

"Well, I was going to do it sooner or later, and well… I can't find a job at home so I thought now it would be as good a time as any to make the big step. And since you're here… it makes all the more sense now, doesn't it?"

"I can't believe this, Leon. Come here" Arthur ordered him as he stood up to warmly embrace him.

"Hey, Merlin!" Gwaine called his friend, never missing the chance for some joking. "You better go back to your seat now or you might find yourself replaced!"

"Hey, what's that?" Merlin joked when he saw his boyfriend hugging his best friend, and he swiftly made his way back to his place. "I turned around for one second!"

"Well, you shouldn't have abandoned me" Arthur joked back when the embrace broke, and Merlin smiled at the happiness emanating from his partner.

"What's up?" Merlin asked, curious.

"Leon is moving to the city, apparently" Arthur announced, and the grin on Merlin's face only widened at the big news.

"Really? That's great, Leon! We'll be happy to have you here!" Merlin honestly told him.

"Thanks, Merlin"

"What is this I hear? You're staying with us?" Percival asked, warm and friendly as always.

"Well, not right away, I have to go back home to get things ready, but in a couple of weeks I'll be here" Leon explained.

"That's great! Welcome to the city, mate" Percival offered.

"So that will be only Leon, or are Elyan and you coming along too?" Lancelot intervened, directing his question to Gwen.

"Well, it's only Leon for the moment, but who knows?" Gwen answered enigmatically, her eyes never straying from Lancelot's for too long.

Arthur had yet to stop smiling when he felt a loving hand at the small of his back. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was, but he did it all the same and his grin widened even more, if that was possible, for his boyfriend.

"You must be over the moon right now" Merlin whispered at his ear, and Arthur chuckled in agreement.

"Things couldn't get any better for the new year, could they?" Arthur asked before throwing himself at Merlin's arms in a fit of passion.

"No, they couldn't" Merlin agreed as he returned the hug, even if he knew they were both avoiding thinking about Morgana and how much Arthur would like her to come back. They would have time to think about her some other time.

The rest of the night went very well, with them dancing to the horrible music choices of Gwaine –Lancelot was still too occupied with talking and flirting with Gwen– and all of them joking and laughing together as if they had known each other for all their lives. In fact, they were having such a great time that midnight came and went and they didn't even notice.

"Oh my God!" Percival loudly exclaimed for all of them to hear, all of a sudden.

"What's wrong?" Gwaine asked.

"It's almost one in the morning!"

"So? The night is still young, let's dance some more, my good friend!" Gwaine answered, grabbing Percival around the waist in a mocking attempt of classic dancing.

"It's not that, you moron. We missed the new year!" Percival answered, trying not to laugh at his best friend's antics and at the very comical expressions around him when they realized he was right.

"Well… happy new year, everyone!" Gwaine shouted and embraced Percival, then Leon, and everyone he met in the way.

"Happy new year!" Everybody answered, warmly hugging their friends.

"Happy new year, love" Arthur especially dedicated his words at Merlin, who smiled and let himself be engulfed in his boyfriend's hug and kiss.

"Happy new year, sweetheart" he answered, but before he could kiss him back they were buried under a pile of arms that were Gwaine, Percival and Elyan jumping on them.

It was almost six in the morning when Merlin and Arthur made it to their loft. They were not really drunk (not like Gwaine, who had past out on Lancelot's garage's sofa around five), but just a little merry and very very tired. And happy, Merlin could tell by Arthur's never-ending smile.

"So it was a good party, wasn't it?" Merlin asked as they both got rid of their jackets in the comfort of their own home.

"It was the best party" Arthur agreed, coming to stand in front of Merlin. "I still haven't thanked you enough for bringing Leon, Elyan and Gwen tonight"

"Just seeing how happy it made you was thanks enough"

"You'll never cease to amaze me, won't you?"

"I surely hope not"

Arthur lazily put his arms around Merlin and rested his head on his shoulder. Just being like that, with each other's arms around them, their bodies gently rocking together in some unrehearsed choreography, made him feel loved, invincible, like no harm could come to them while being together. And Merlin knew, and he always made sure to squeeze him strongly to his chest, because if there was anything that made Arthur feel safe, as small as it was, Merlin would do it. And Arthur loved him even more for that.

"Did you notice?" Arthur asked after a couple of minutes of comfortable silence.

"Notice what?" Merlin asked, a bit sleepily.

"Lancelot"

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong, quite the contrary. He seemed quite taken with Gwen"

"Did he?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Didn't you notice?"

"No, I don't think so. He's my best friend, I would have noticed"

"You want to bet?" Arthur asked with a naughty smile, lifting his head from Merlin's shoulder to properly look at him.

"Do you?" Merlin replied in amusement.

"Yeah. You know she and Leon and Elyan are coming over to have lunch with us in a few hours, right? Well, Lancelot knows too. I bet you he will call with some lame excuse to come with the boys too, asking for all of us to have some time together before they go back home, but he will only be wanting to spend time with her, believe me"

"Alright, you have a bet" Merlin replied with a tiny smile.

"Whoever loses has to make all the chores around the house for a week"

"Deal. It will be nice to have some time off"

"Oh, I will enjoy it so much, thank you" Arthur joked, and Merlin playfully slapped his rear, his arms being still around him in an undying embrace.

"I'm sorry they didn't want to stay here with us. I know we have a lot of space, but we could have managed"

"Oh, I insisted a lot, believe me, but they preferred to book a room for the night. They knew how small our loft is and they didn't want to be a burden"

"They wouldn't have been"

"I know, but they preferred it that way. Don't worry, you'll have them here in just a few hours"

Even though they were really tired, they didn't feel like moving from their current position and Arthur rested his head in Merlin's shoulder again. They were still embraced close together, rocking their bodied in unison, when Arthur's deep breathing on the sensitive skin on his neck started turning Merlin crazy.

"You don't know what you're doing with this, do you?" Merlin told Arthur, his voice a mixture of teasing and longing.

"With what?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Breathing onto me like that, you teaser"

Arthur laughed wholeheartedly and lifted his head from Merlin's shoulder again to look at his eyes.

"I was not doing it on purpose, but glad to know I have that effect on you"

"As if you didn't know the effect you have on me" Merlin told him, his voice hoarse from desire, just before capturing Arthur's lips in a slow kiss that lingered, becoming more frantic and deeper after a while.

Merlin gently pushed Arthur backwards until they reached their mattress, and Arthur carefully sat on it, careful not to break the kiss by grabbing Merlin's shirt and forcing him to follow him, so he ended up practically on top of the blond.

Arthur's hands immediately tried to get Merlin's shirt out of the way, as he wanted to feel his skin against his as soon as possible, and didn't bother unbuttoning it. Instead he rolled it up past his arms and head until he was freed from it, both of them shivering with pleasure as their naked chests collided at last.

"Are you in any hurry?" Merlin asked, his voice husky with desire, as he broke the kiss and moved his lips to Arthur's exposed neck instead.

"It's just... easier this way" Arthur answered, his breathing starting to become agitated.

"Well, I'm going to take my time" Merlin replied, trailing a path with his lips all over Arthur's collar bone to the top of his chest, opening the first button of his shirt and letting the breath out of his mouth consciously to caress Arthur's skin, making him sigh in anticipation. "Is that alright with you?"

"Hhmm" was all Arthur was able to say as Merlin brought his kisses down his lover's chest until he reached the next button on his shirt, losing it too, a naughty grin on his lips.

"Oh, so I've taken the ability of speaking out of you, right?" Merlin joked as he resumed his way with his lips down Arthur's chest 'til the next button.

"Maybe" Arthur answered, suddenly goaded into action, as his hands moved from Merlin's back to the front of his trousers to start unfastening the belt, tickling his waist all the way with his fingers, eliciting an involuntary groan from his throat as Arthur's fingers reached under his waistband. "But I can still do a lot of other things"

"I can see that" Merlin answered as he undid the last button and lifted his boyfriend's upper body with a firm arm around his waist so he could take the shirt off of him once and for all.

"I'm glad" Arthur said, as he took advantage of the proximity of Merlin's body to gently bite his ear and lick the crook of his neck, "because I want to make you understand how much I love you"

"Not that I don't know, but be my guest, please" Merlin answered with a voice full of lust, as he separated Arthur's legs to fully climb on top of him and devoured his mouth hungrily as he also undid the buttons of his boyfriend's trousers.


End file.
